Soteriology in the Early Church

Soteriology in the Early Church

The human condition in this world is a plight of fallen men. Constantly trying to bring society and civilization to peace and prosperity our efforts are ruined by sin, which impacts us on a global level. However, through scripture God has revealed his plan for our salvation, and through Christ this has been done. The study of the doctrine of salvation is known as soteriology. There are four models of soteriology that can be detected in the literature of the early church. These four models are; salvation as illumination, salvation as recapitulation, salvation as victory over the devil, and salvation as deification.

Salvation as illumination deals with the concept of Jesus not only as a teacher, but as the Teacher. The early church viewed this through the idea that through Christ's death man has been blessed with the ability to gain the knowledge of Christ. Not only are we saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but also through Christ's saving works while he was alive. The gospels are a plethora of teachings from Jesus which include his parables, sermons, and miracles. Through the saving blood and knowledge of Jesus Christ, he has illuminated our hearts and minds to the path of eternal salvation.

Another model of soteriology is salvation as recapitulation. The models opens up the idea that Christ came to restore what was lost through the fall of Adam. Recapitulation can be described as the summing up of all things. In this sense recapitulation is the collection of all things in Christ. Just as sin and death were brought into the world by Adam, redemption and eternal life were brought into the world by the

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death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This view incorporates humans across the ages, bringing us all together in Christ. In a sense, this theory states that creation and redemption have in a way been joined.

In the third model, a fight between good and evil is brought to light. The victory of Christ over the powers of evil have began a Christian life that can share in the victory over Satan. This model is known as salvation as victory over the devil or Satan. Through Christ's death and resurrection, he has conquered the evil powers in the world, reconciling man with God. Through his works of exorcisms and his rejection of temptations Christ has shown his superiority over the devil. There is an element to this model that reveals Christ as more of a ransom payment to liberate man from the ultimate power of sin. If Christ was a ransom, who was the ransom paid to? Christ could have been a ransom